Pauli Arbarei, a journey for researching giants

In the territory of the small village of Pauli Arbarei, in the historical sub-region of Marmilla, in the open countryside, the modest bare hill surrounding, from their summits, offer a beautiful view. In one of these stands the nuraghe Bruncu Mannu, in one of the highest points of the territory of Pauli Arbarei. It is a nuraghe covered with land that has not benefited, unfortunately, any excavation campaign.


This hill overlooks a large extent of territory. Other ruined and mostly covered with land nuraghes are visible in the adjacent hills, in various strategic points.
About a hundred meters from this nuraghe, three years ago, it began a campaign of excavations where a number of tombs with a rather particular structure were found; it was neither a nuraghe or a tower.


Among the various hypotheses of the archaeologists the most reliable are those that identified the structure with a holy shrine or a prominent tomb. There beside was in fact there are many and as many holes in the ground. All tombs were plundered by grave robbers in search of the grave goods of those buried.
Now, of the excavation, it remains a wire mesh that defines an approximate boundary and piles of stones scattered around.
The weeds and the vegetation seem to have overpowered again what was found.


In the surrounding valley someone claims to have discovered, time ago, something extraordinary. A true graveyard of warriors. Besides the skeletons they were present spears, shields, helmets and coins. Of all this today have remained only the pits that the weather and the elements are slowly covering. Mere rumors or real finds?

Angelo Corona, of the Archaeological Brunku Mannu Society, is aware of the great resource that the territory offers: "We made a proposal to the municipal administration, together with our association, for permission to fence off the area and clean up the strategic archaeological sites in order to offer something at the tourists, but for now we have not had answers. "


The specific location of the buildings, placed on the hill, have enabled archaeologists to hypothesize the presence of a small town. In the past, only in this area, there were sixteen nuraghes. Today only about half, and for lack of funds, actually, it is not planned any excavation.
Yet the conditions for some sensational finds are all there.


Down in the valley, including the nuraghe Sirissi, (a small nuraghe located on the plain) and the nuraghe Su Sensu, located on the hill, there is a tomb with a well squared stone. Inside there is nothing. It has also been plundered by grave robbers.
Right next to the nuraghe Sirissi was done, while ago, an unbelievable discovery. Here a grave with three skeletons was found. The first two seemingly normal, respectively, had a length of one meter and a one and half meter. The third was much taller, measured in fact, two and a half meters.


Someone, noticed a fresh dig on the ground and, getting closer, saw that there were skeletons without their grave goods. The police were immediately alerted, who, in turn, called the Superintendency. The skeletons were quickly taken away and nobody knows what happened to them.
An elder of Sanluri, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims to have found a huge skull, in the countryside of his village, fifteen kilometers from Pauli Arbarei.


In Gesico, instead, during the work in a vineyard, some people uncovered a tomb in which there was, here too, a giant skull. Where these findings are is not known. Probably they are still there, under a good meter of earth. It is clear that in this area there is something important in archeological terms that maybe it is underestimated.
Walking on the plateau in the Cort'e Bacca, means crossing stones everywhere, paving blocks, fragments of pottery, profaned tombs, walls and buried nuragic towers.

It is quite plausible to assume there was a town and it is just as likely that some skeletons found and more to find, present abnormal height.
Maybe someday there will be a casual finding so important to impose an consistent excavation campaign which shed light on everything.
Then will be finally solved the mystery of these giants, their graves, their beliefs, their construction and partially rewrite nuragic and pre-nuragic history of Sardinia.